ADDS NEW STATEMENT BY FOREIGN MINISTRY; CHANGES HEADLINE, LEDE, DECK
By Melike Pala and Burak Bir
BRUSSELS/LONDON (AA) - Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has summoned the Israeli ambassador to Italy to seek clarification and convey Rome's strong protest after two gendarmerie officers were threatened by a person, believed to be an armed settler, in the occupied West Bank, according to a statement on Monday.
"The two carabinieri (gendarmerie) were stopped in Palestinian territory, near Ramallah, likely by a settler at gunpoint," the Foreign Ministry said.
Earlier Monday, the Italian Embassy in Tel Aviv sent a "Note Verbale of Formal Protest" to the Israeli government after the incident involving two carabinieri officers working at the Italian Consulate General in Jerusalem, the ministry said in a separate statement.
The statement noted that the two military personnel were on a site-inspection visit on Sunday to prepare for a mission of EU ambassadors to a village near Ramallah.
"The military personnel were threatened by an armed man in civilian clothes, presumably an Israeli settler, who pointed a rifle at them," said the ministry.
"The soldiers (who had diplomatic passports and cards, and a car with diplomatic license plates) were 'interrogated' by the civilian," the ministry noted.
The statement added that the officers did not respond to the initial threats with violence.
- Italy plans to take 'further steps'
"Verification with COGAT (Israeli military command for the occupied Palestinian territories) confirmed that no military area exists at that location," the Italian ministry stressed.
It noted that the military personnel returned safely to the consulate and reported the incident to the embassy and their chain of command.
"Given the gravity of the incident, the Ambassador in Tel Aviv has been instructed to submit a Note Verbale of Protest to the government in Jerusalem at the highest level, involving the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, COGAT, the IDF (Israeli army) General Staff, the police, and the internal security agency, Shin Bet."
The statement underlined that the Italian Foreign Ministry plans to take "further steps of protest at the highest political level."
More than 500,000 illegal Israeli settlers live in settlements and outposts across the West Bank, while another 250,000 live in settlements built on land in the occupied East Jerusalem, according to the Israeli left-wing group Peace Now.
Illegal settlers have escalated their attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank since the outbreak in the Gaza Strip in October 2023.
According to Palestinian figures, Israeli forces and illegal settlers have killed at least 1,109 Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, injured nearly 11,000, and detained 21,000 since October 2023.
The International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal in a landmark opinion in July 2024, and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.